Microplastic Contamination in Alaska's Freshwater Systems

Microplastics have been detected in all environmental settings ranging from glacial ice,
freshwater bodies, sediments, plants, animals, and humans (Prata et al., 2018, Ovide et al., 2022).
Scientists in Iceland have identified microplastics in ice cores taken from glaciers, in some
drinking water sources around the country, and in Iceland’s coasts (Ovide et al., 2022).
Microplastics studies are very new in science with several sampling methods for testing aquatic
systems. However, no standardized EPA protocols have been established for sampling methods
and quantification at the time of this writing.

For this study we will investigate microplastic pollution abundance in freshwater systems
in Alaska. I will compare microplastic abundance and type between a highly urbanized
surface water source and a rural surface water source. Much of the research component will be
completed by the end of Spring 2023. In the summer semester I will collect surface water samples
from the Bering Strait Region with my mentor's help, and later compare them with data from the
Anchorage area. The sampled area will be a traditional drinking water source of the Bering Strait
villages.